Bulletin of Biblical Studies, vol.19, January-June 2000, year 29, p.128.
The January-June 2000 issue of the Bulletin of Biblical Studies contains five (5) articles.
S. Agouridis analyzes the dicussion of Jesus with the Samaritan woman (John 4, 5-42). First, he presents the setting of the discussion and the elements it consists of, the way these are depicted in the first verses. Next, he hermeneutically explains the rest of the text that is divided in two acts. In the first act, which includes Jesus' discussion with the Samaritan woman, there is special emphasis on the misunderstandings that D evangelist uses and their deeper meaning. In the second act, which includes Jesus'discussion with his disciples, the weight lays especially on the matter of the church mission and its practice.
J. Barclay claims that one of the basic elements of the self-definition of the early Christianity that was the defining of death as a place where the Christians could realize and show their difference, by demonstrating their specialness at a point that definitely touched and bothered everyone, was inaugurated with passage A' Thess. 4, 13-5, 11. In this frame, he examines the passage investigating the causes of the crisis and the division in the community of Thessaloniki and, at the same time, he analyzes the process of the Christianization of death.
S. Tsitsigos presents the importance of the soul according to the H. S.. In this frame, the synonyms of the soul, its symbols and similes as well as its sense in the O. T. and in the N. T. are examined.
M. Michael attempts a short presentation of the interpretation of number 666 in the way it is mentioned in the Revelation by providing examples of the older use of cryptology in ancient Egypt, Greece and the O. T. so as to finally arrive at the specific passage (Rev. 13, 18), mentioning the different translations of the Greek passage in English, but also the most important scientific interpretations in the international bibliography.
O. E. Alana attempts to pinpoint the different possible aspects of the Hebrew and Hellenistic world that exhibit shades of magic during the 1st cent. b. C. and discover the degree to which the supposed magical habits of this time affected some of Jesus' healing techniques. So, first, he examines the practice of magic in the Hebrew and Hellenistic world and then Jesus' use of certain processes and therapy techniques that reflected magical influences.
Next follows the review of I. Karavidopoulos on the book of S. Agouridis, ΜατθαίοςοΕυαγγελιστής(ΔιδάσκαλοςτηςαρχικήςκαιτηςσημερινήςΕκκλησίας) [=Matthew the Evangelist (Teacher of the first and today's Church)], Athens 2000, ed. “Artos Zois” (=Bread of Life) and the review of S. Agouridis on the books of H. Shanks, ΗπεριπέτειατωνχειρογράφωντηςΝεκρήςΘάλασσας, ΙστορικόΔοκίμιο (=The adventure of the Dead Sea Scrolls, A Historical Essay), ed. Enalios, 1997 and I. Karavidopoulos, ΑπόκρυφαΧριστιανικάΚείμενα. Α': ΑπόκρυφαΕυαγγέλια, (=Occult Christian Texts. A' : Secret Gospels), ed. Pournara, Thessaloniki 1999.